Category: Features
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Q&A: Jenny Odell on how Bay Area landscapes inspired her new book ‘Saving Time’
From I-880 to Pescadero State Beach, Odell dissects different ways of grokking time. Jenny Odell, author of “Saving Time” and “How to Do Nothing,” lives in Oakland and draws inspiration for her writing from Bay Area landscapes. (Courtesy Chani Bockwinkel.) By Kate Bradshaw This story was first published in The Mercury News on Sept. 11,…
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With roots in Silicon Valley, this century-old fruit business has ties to your cereal bowl
This fourth-generation dried fruit business supplies Raisin Bran’s raisins and has a street named after it at Apple headquarters. Mariani Packing Company president George Sousa Jr. at the company’s facility in Vacaville, Calif., on Sept. 6, 2023. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group) This story was first published in The Mercury News on Sept. 22, 2023.…
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How pinball’s feminist uprising got its start in the Bay Area
A decade in, this ‘league of their own’ has transformed the world of competitive pinball. With fingernails that match the color of flipper buttons, a female contestant competes in the women’s pinball tournament at California Extreme, the annual classic arcade games show at the Hyatt Regency in Santa Clara, Calif., Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. (Karl…
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Astronaut Steve Smith’s time in space has shaped the course of his existence
Former astronaut Steve Smith traveled 16 million miles and spent nearly 50 hours out on spacewalks during his time with NASA. (NASA) Spacewalker and diplomat Steve Smith shares how space has changed his life. This story was first published in The Mercury News on Jan. 21, 2024. Many kids dream of becoming an astronaut. San…
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Remote work rises and Caltrain ridership plummets: How Silicon Valley has changed three years since COVID
Caltrain ridership has plummeted 92% from pre-pandemic rates. Photo by Magali Gauthier. Annual report illustrates how the increasing cost of living is impacting residents — and driving them away. By Kate Bradshaw This story was first published in The Six Fifty on March 22, 2023. Each year, Joint Venture Silicon Valley, a regional nonprofit think…
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Mariachi camp inspires kids to connect with Spanish music, instruments, culture
Ballet Folklorico dancers wait backstage before performing during the youth mariachi program at the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, Friday, July 22, 2022 in Santa Rosa (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat) 2022 Music leader, José Soto, helps empower young musicians through free classes and instruction as their confidence grows through community performances By…
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How dancer, designer and author Kelly Schmutte found the secret to saving ballerina feet
Stanford graduate Leilani Tian puts on her pointe shoe over her PerfectFit Pointe shoe insert at Stanford University on June 21, 2022. Photo by Magali Gauthier. By Kate Bradshaw June 30, 2022 Dancer and designer Kelly Schmutte was 11 years old when she finally got permission to go en pointe. She remembers being thrilled. She…
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‘I don’t feel like I need to prove myself to anyone’
Skateboarder Kat Sy pauses at the top of a ramp at the Foster City Skate Park. The Foster City resident is featured in a new short film documenting her life through her love of skateboarding as she graduated college. Photo by Magali Gauthier. New film shares Foster City woman’s experience as a queer Asian American…
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From KQED to caregiver for mom in Menlo Park
Dave Iverson. Courtesy Dave Iverson. New memoir chronicles lessons from Dave Iverson’s 10 years with his elderly mother, and looks at how to navigate a broken system By Kate Bradshaw June 1, 2022 Around the time that some people start thinking about retirement, in 2007, Dave Iverson, nearing 60 and facing a recent diagnosis of…
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The true story behind Palo Alto’s secret museum dedicated to watercolorist Tony Foster
Anne Baxter, co-executive director at The Foster, talks about Tony Foster’s “Bluebells—Looking WNW near the Top of Luxulyan Valley” (2014). The piece is part of the “Journey,” or series of works, called “Exploring Beauty: Watercolour Diaries from the Wild.” Photo by Magali Gauthier. By Kate Bradshaw November 18, 2021 As a kid, Palo Altan Jane…
Kate Bradshaw 